Chanukah and the Heroic Jewish Woman

Are we willing to fight for what’s right?

For Shabbos we try to make the perfect challah, for company perhaps the perfect soufflé, and for Chanukah we try to make the perfect brisket and of course the perfect latke. In the midst of all these food preparations, after ferreting out the most creative menorah and those special artisan candles, we don't want to lose sight of the holiday. How can we have the perfect Chanukah?

All beginnings are based on understanding. There was a prominent advertising campaign for a shopping mall in southern California whose motto was "Don't Blend In." You have your own unique style; don't be caught looking like a carbon copy of someone else. In fashion, it's clear. For some there is nothing more mortifying than to catch an acquaintance wearing the same outfit as you. While we may have mixed feelings about the application of this motto to clothing, the application to Jewish pride should be unambivalent.

Chanukah is the holiday of Jewish pride; it's the time when we made a historic commitment not to blend in. Despite the allure of Greek society, despite the capitulation of many of our brothers and sisters, the true heroes were those who stood apart. They were not seduced by the blandishments of the Greeks; they knew they held a precious treasure and it was not to be relinquished…

One of the lesser-known yet not-unsung heroines of the Chanukah story was the widow Yehudis. Perceiving the danger that her people were in – the physical danger of the Assyrians at the door, and the spiritual danger should Jerusalem fall, she devised a plan. Her town was under siege, its inhabitants on the verge of surrender due to lack of water when Yehudis acted. Pious and resourceful, she requested a meeting with the Assyrian General Holofornes.

She recommended herself as his advisor in his campaign to defeat the Jews. Seduced by her intelligence, blinded by her beauty, Holofornes agreed to her plan. She invited him to a luxurious dinner where she served him great quantities of cheese – to promote thirst, and wine – to quench it. Finally he fell into a deep and uncomprehending sleep.

Without wasting a moment, Yehudis grabbed his sword, cut off his head, and returned with it to the anxious, waiting Jews. The severed head was displayed on the walls of the city, terrifying the Assyrian army who panicked and retreated. The Jewish soldiers were victorious and a prayer of thanksgiving was offered up, with gratitude to the Almighty and his righteous agent, Yehudis.

When the chips are down, women have the power to rise above.

When the chips are down, women have the power to rise above. When our families are threatened, we become mother lionesses, roaring at and attacking our enemies. When our people are at risk, we have the power to save them. If we use it wisely. If we're focused on the goal.

Too frequently, the goal is obscured. We blink and we've lost sight of it. We have a brief moment of insight and then we're back to carpools, homework and (finally!) bedtime. But what are we giving our children if it's only a ride from place to place? What is our lasting legacy if all we talk about is homework and shopping? We want to teach our children how lucky they are to be Jews, that it's a heritage not worth trading for all the money in the world.

America has been a wonderful haven for the Jews. Our gratitude knows no bounds. But it also defines itself as a "melting pot." The goal is that the edges should blur as all races and ethnicities blend into one "American" whole. That is not a Jewish goal. We recognize the tremendous loss that occurs when we sacrifice our uniqueness. Again we say "don't blend in."

As Jewish women, we need to model, to embody this motto...

Strength and Pride

The Greeks outlawed the Jewish celebration of the new month, dismissive of man's relationship with God in framing time, dismissive of Jewish calendar, a Jewish perspective on the yearly cycle. We have to reclaim the Jewish calendar. Our lives are deepened if the week is centered on Shabbos instead of Sunday. Our dinner parties are infused with meaning if they're connected to Jewish celebrations. Our tradition is upheld and reinforced if it is the clear priority, and not the non-Jewish or secular holidays that surround us.

We're proud of being different.

Chanukah is a good place to start – but the message should inform all our activities throughout the year. Our ancestors fought many long and bloody battles to preserve their Jewishness. Chanukah is a celebration of the victory in that struggle, not the physical victory – for the battle was not yet over – but the spiritual one. Jews at Chanukah said, "We're not afraid to be different; we're proud of being different. And we'll fight to the death for our privilege and responsibility to remain different."

With no imminent battles on the horizon, how do we take our stand today? By living a life that embodies Jewish values. Just as we are unique as women, we are even more precious as Jewish women. And we have a message to teach the world – beginning with our family and friends and expanding outward in ever-widening concentric circles. We can dress in a way that teaches the world about dignity. We can talk in a way that teaches the world about thoughtfulness. We can treat others in a way that teaches the world about kindness. We can raise our children in a way that teaches the world about morality. And we can pray in a way that teaches the world about God.

We don't have to do it on our own. The Torah is the guidebook for our actions. We have community to reinforce our beliefs. But we should be prepared to go it alone. We should have the strength and the pride that nothing can stand in our way. We need to find the battle that Yehudis would have fought today – and drawing on her legacy of strength and spirit – lead the troops…

And while we're doing all this – while we're developing into great Jewish women and using our strengths and talents to impact our world, while we're standing up with quiet dignity and inner fortitude and refusing to blend in, we can also be at home – spinning the dreidel, passing out Chanukah gelt, eating latkes, and teaching our children, our families, our communities how to live an inspired moral and unique life; a life that only we as individuals, and we as members of a people, can create.

About the Author

Emuna Braverman has a law degree from the University of Toronto and a Masters in in Clinical Psychology with an emphasis on Marriage and Family Therapy from Pepperdine University. She lives with her husband and nine children in Los Angeles where they both work for Aish HaTorah. When she isn''t writing for the Internet or taking care of her family, Emuna teaches classes on Judaism, organizes gourmet kosher cooking groups and hosts many Shabbos guests. She is the cofounder of www.gourmetkoshercooking.com.

The opinions expressed in the comment section are the personal views of the commenters. Comments are moderated, so please keep it civil.

Visitor Comments: 7

(6)
Celtacia,
December 1, 2011 3:55 PM

Jewish-Christian differences

I have always admired the strength of Yehudis/Judith. I think one of the reasons that Christianity has had such an easy time disempowering its women is that many books and stories telling of strong, capable and powerful women are removed from the version of the Bible that so many of them read...the King James version. The New American version and the Douay-Rheims actually contain more of the complete text of the Torah than other versions. My friends always look at me funny when I tell them that to really understand the Bible, they must first read the Torah. When they do, it makes them seek the reasons for the significant deletions from the Bible, and they grow in their understanding of the equally powerful but different roles men and women have to play. Thank you for your wisdom.

Yehudis,
November 15, 2012 10:17 PM

Surprisingly, the source of the story of Yehudis is not the Torah, but the Midrash.

(5)
L.S.,
December 7, 2010 6:40 PM

Great Article!

Great article, Rebetzin Braverman! Very inspiring! I think the story of Chanukkah is very feminist and empower to women and it is very well written here. Please keep the articles like this coming!

(4)
Fred,
December 7, 2010 6:21 AM

Wonderful. Thanks

Love this article. Inspiring.

(3)
Anonymous,
December 6, 2010 10:50 PM

I love Chanukah and your article is spot on. I am critical of myself and I have to be. Just another person trying to get things right. Sometimes it is difficult living with illness and sadness of the loss of two dear elderly ladies. I have lashed out and I did not think that the yetzer hara was so close to the surface and then loshen hora. OY! I want to be the best person that I can be and knowing the fierceness of Judith and many other Jewish women, I have things to work on in myself. Looking up to the clever ways of Judith and others lets me have hope for me too. Brura

(2)
Anonymous,
December 6, 2010 1:20 AM

thanks

Am always on the lookout for women of valour. I use the material at the farbrungen for my mother's Yahrzeit.

(1)
Anonymous,
November 29, 2010 4:24 AM

Emuna, very well written. Love reading the story of Judith, you just want to shout "way to go girl"
This is a beautiful time, you just feel the Holy Angels around us.

I've been striving to get more into spirituality. But it seems that every time I make some progress, I find myself slipping right back to where I started. I'm getting discouraged and feel like a failure. Can you help?

The Aish Rabbi Replies:

Spiritual slumps are a natural part of spiritual growth. There is a cycle that people go through when at times they feel closer to God and at times more distant. In the words of the Kabbalists, it is "two steps forward and one step back." So although you feel you are slipping, know that this is a natural process. The main thing is to look at your overall progress (over months or years) and be able to see how far you've come!

This is actually God's ingenious way of motivating us further. The sages compare this to teaching a baby how to walk. When the parent is holding on, the baby shrieks with delight and is under the illusion that he knows how to walk. Yet suddenly, when the parent lets go, the child panics, wobbles and may even fall.

At such times when we feel spiritually "down," that is often because God is letting go, giving us the great gift of independence. In some ways, these are the times when we can actually grow the most. For if we can move ourselves just a little bit forward, we truly acquire a level of sanctity that is ours forever.

Here is a practical tool to help pull you out of the doldrums. The Sefer HaChinuch speaks about a great principle in spiritual growth: "The external awakens the internal." This means that although we may not experience immediate feelings of closeness to God, eventually, by continuing to conduct ourselves in such a manner, this physical behavior will have an impact on our spiritual selves and will help us succeed. (A similar idea is discussed by psychologists who say: "Smile and you will feel happy.")

That is the power of Torah commandments. Even if we may not feel like giving charity or praying at this particular moment, by having a "mitzvah" obligation to do so, we are in a framework to become inspired. At that point we can infuse that act of charity or prayer with all the meaning and lift it can provide. But if we'd wait until being inspired, we might be waiting a very long time.

May the Almighty bless you with the clarity to see your progress, and may you do so with joy.

In 1940, a boatload 1,600 Jewish immigrants fleeing Hitler's ovens was denied entry into the port of Haifa; the British deported them to the island of Mauritius. At the time, the British had acceded to Arab demands and restricted Jewish immigration into Palestine. The urgent plight of European Jewry generated an "illegal" immigration movement, but the British were vigilant in denying entry. Some ships, such as the Struma, sunk and their hundreds of passengers killed.

If you seize too much, you are left with nothing. If you take less, you may retain it (Rosh Hashanah 4b).

Sometimes our appetites are insatiable; more accurately, we act as though they were insatiable. The Midrash states that a person may never be satisfied. "If he has one hundred, he wants two hundred. If he gets two hundred, he wants four hundred" (Koheles Rabbah 1:34). How often have we seen people whose insatiable desire for material wealth resulted in their losing everything, much like the gambler whose constant urge to win results in total loss.

People's bodies are finite, and their actual needs are limited. The endless pursuit for more wealth than they can use is nothing more than an elusive belief that they can live forever (Psalms 49:10).

The one part of us which is indeed infinite is our neshamah (soul), which, being of Divine origin, can crave and achieve infinity and eternity, and such craving is characteristic of spiritual growth.

How strange that we tend to give the body much more than it can possibly handle, and the neshamah so much less than it needs!